Drive chain



July 5, 1927.

Y F. l.. MORSE DRIVE GHAIN Filed Feb. 21. 1924 L Z5 -ATTOPNEYY NVE/WOR rar-.nir n' irons-n, orlr'rnAcA, New YORK, AssrGNoR To MeneneHArN COMPANY, .A

CORPORATION OF .NEW YORK.

v.Application led February 2119'24. Serial No. 694,214.

invention relates to sprocket chains driving purposes but is par- 'rl where a chain oiilight conasy and in Kpensive .to manufacinconstruction is desired, on bicycles and other light nat class oi chains are usec for joinare in some cases onnling rollers for enreeth oi the sprocket.

primary objects ot this inprovision ot a two part pintle rhich can be made trom the ck simple cross section cost'v oi manufacture is materially reduced.

Another object or" this invention is to provide means for positioning the parts of the pintle in the links in such a` manner as to be thoroughly eflicient and to maintain the pintle parts in place without the use ot entra parts.

1ifarious other Y advantages obtainable through my invention will appear from my description hereinafter ot the best methods and apparatus for the purpose that are known to me.

ln the drawings Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a drive chain embodying' my invention.

2 is a plan section taken on the line 2-2 oi Fig. 1.

ig. 3 is a. detailed view of an inside link.

Fig. 4 is a detailed view of an outside link.

Figs. 5 and 6 are perspective views of the two pins comprising the pintle. and

Fig. 7 is an enlarged view of a pintle joint.

Referring now to the drawings it will be seen that the chain is very simplein construction and comprises the outside links 7,

the inside links 8, the two part pintles A.

and in some Cases the rollers or sleeves 9 which surround the pintles A. Each pintle A is composed of a pin 10 and a pin 11.

The inside links 8 have openings 12 at their ends which are semicircular toward the center of the links and rectangular toward the ends o't the links. The rectangular portions oi' the openings are at a slight angle to a perpendicular through the center of the tace of the link as seen in Fig. 3, suoli angle being approximately 5. The pin 10 passes through 'the semicircular portion 12 in the rinside vlink 8 while the pin l11 has Aa shoulderedportion 13 which is positioned in the rectangular lportion ot the opening 12 whereby the pin is held at an angle corresponding to that or the rect-angular portion oi the hole. The pins 10 are also provided with shouldered portions y14 which lit snugly in the substantially rectangular openings 15 in the outside links 7 which openings 15 are also tilted at a slight angle corresponding to that of the rectangular portion of the holes in the inside links. (See Fig. 4.) The surfaces 16 oi' the openings 12 and the surfaces 17 or the openings 15 have a curvature corresponding to the curvature of the conver faces 18 of the members 10 and 11. The shouldered portions 14 of the pins 10 are provided with prick punches 19 into which metal trom the outside links is punched as best shown at 20 in Figs. 1 and 2.

ltis to be noted that by virtue of the twisting of both pins comprising the pintle, they can both be made from bar stock of the same simple cross section. These pins are so simple in design that they may be sheared and shouldered in one operation from bar stock, which is rolled or drawn t0 have the desired cross section.

The pins 10 connecting the outside links may have the prick punches 19 formed in the shea-ring and shouldering operation. The edges 21 of the pins when assembled present a cylindrical surface of a diameter allowing a running tit of the rollers.

Owing to Athis simple construction it will be seen that such a chain may be cheaply manufactured there being only three kinds of stock needed, namely, flat stock for the links, bar stock for the pins and tubular stock for the rollers, although the rollers could also be'made as punchings.

The angle at which the pins are set, that is the approximate 5 angle, forms an important part of this invention because it is by virtue of this that I am able to make both pins forming the pintle of similar cross section and to employ the double convex surfaces.

Referring to Fig. 7 it will be seen that by positioning the pins 10 and 11 at the proper angle, in this case 5, as indicated by the dotted lines 22, the curve generated by the contact point 23 as the link 8, in which the pin 11 is positioned, goes around the sprocket, will coincide with the surface 18 of the adjacent pin l0.

The assembling of a chain constructed in accordance vwith my invention is very simple and it will be seen that the longer pins act as spacers )for the outside links and the shorter ones as spacers for the inside links, the shoulders on the longer pins giving proper clearance between the inside and outside links, while the shoulders on the shorter pins give proper clearance tothe rollers.

I claim:

l. A drive chain comprising inside and outside links, two part pintles joining the links, one part of each pintle being shouldered to space the inside links and the other .part of each pintle being shouldered to space the outside links, and a roller surrounding each pintle.

2. A drive chain comprising inside and outside links, two part pintles joining the links, each part being of similar cross section but one part being of lesslength than the other and each part having shoulders at their endsl whereby the inside links are spaced by one part of the pintles and the outside links by the other part and aroller surrounding each pintle.

In testimony whereoIn I have hereunto signed my name.

FRANK L. MORSE. 

